1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to article carriers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a body-attachable pouch for holding articles therein which can be worn in various orientations and is adapted to be concealed under the wearer's clothing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many different types of article carriers have been proposed for carrying a variety of items. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,971 discloses an article carrier having two permanently-affixed straps oriented to allow it to be supported either over a wearer's shoulder or around the user's body. U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,107 discloses a ski equipment carrier having one strap that may be supported around the user's torso to carry the bag and other straps that are arrayed over the user's shoulders. The straps are not removable. U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,414 discloses a camera bag having a pair of straps which allow for either torso suspension or shoulder suspension. These carriers are relatively large and bulky and are not adapted to be worn under clothing.
Article carriers have also been proposed for carrying valuable items such as money, credit cards, passports and the like. Typically, these items are carried in either a wallet placed in a pant pocket or in a purse suspended from a shoulder. However, wallets and purses are extremely vulnerable to theft, and for this reason, other carriers have been proposed which are worn on the user's body and concealed the wearer's garments. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,788,040 discloses a shoulder-suspended purse adapted to be worn under the wearer's clothing. The strap on the purse is non-removable and the purse may only be worn in one orientation.
There is a need for an article carrier which may be comfortably worn either under or over a person's clothing and which includes a removable strap so that the carrier can comfortably be worn in various orientations around the wearer.